Kathleen Kennedy Will Remain at Lucasfilm In Charge of ‘Star Wars’ Through 2021

A long time ago, George Lucas was the one voice, the one vote, that mattered in the world of Star Wars. Then he sold his company to Disney, who hired Kathleen Kennedy to head his company. And now, via The Hollywood Reporter, they’ve reupped her contract. She will remain Lucasfilm’s president — and therefore the head honcho of the Star Wars galaxy — through 2021:

The move is a vote of confidence in Kennedy, who took command of Lucasfilm after Disney’s $4 billion acquisition from George Lucas in 2012 and has overseen the relaunch of Star Wars, one of the most revered movie properties in cinematic history. Disney's four new Star Wars films have grossed almost $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office. Ancillary and merchandising have brought billions more into the studio's coffers.

As THR notes, despite that success, Kennedy has become an increasingly polarizing figure in the world of online fandom. (A polarizing person in charge of Star Wars?!? I know, shocking.) Some fans have blamed Kennedy for the missteps they see (or imagine) in the franchise. (I’m sure the fact that she is a woman has nothing at all to do with that.) And Kennedy’s track record at Lucasfilm so far isn’t perfect; this year’s Solo: A Star Wars Story suffered through a directorial firing during production and the final film, while still grossing hundreds of millions of dollars, was arguably the first theatrical flop in the history of the series.

Still, the main Star Wars franchise is perhaps stronger than ever, with possible television series and new film spinoffs in the works, along with the first ever Star Wars theme park rides coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World next year. Kennedy’s next production is Star Wars: Episode IX which is currently scheduled to open in theaters on December 20, 2019.